Here, I turn to the final application of architectural knowledge: to the design itself. But in keeping with the general direction of this book I will not, on the whole, look at examples of the ...
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Here, I turn to the final application of architectural knowledge: to the design itself. But in keeping with the general direction of this book I will not, on the whole, look at examples of the application of acquired knowledge in specific architectural designs. Instead, I will explore how English intellectuals theorized the process of designing classical architecture in general. This was a process that was fundamentally based on the classical orders, understood not just as a set of column types but as an overall system of proportion and, even, a method of design. The final text I turn to will be Wren’s writings on architectural design. Here, I argue that he used ancient variety as justification to be equally varied in one’s use of the orders in architectural design, although the ability to do this was ultimately dependent on the learning and the ingenuity of the architect.Less

Inventing Architecture

Matthew Walker

Published in print: 2017-10-19

Here, I turn to the final application of architectural knowledge: to the design itself. But in keeping with the general direction of this book I will not, on the whole, look at examples of the application of acquired knowledge in specific architectural designs. Instead, I will explore how English intellectuals theorized the process of designing classical architecture in general. This was a process that was fundamentally based on the classical orders, understood not just as a set of column types but as an overall system of proportion and, even, a method of design. The final text I turn to will be Wren’s writings on architectural design. Here, I argue that he used ancient variety as justification to be equally varied in one’s use of the orders in architectural design, although the ability to do this was ultimately dependent on the learning and the ingenuity of the architect.

Architects and Intellectual Culture in Post-Restoration England charts the moment when well-educated, well-resourced, English intellectuals first became interested in classical architecture in ...
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Architects and Intellectual Culture in Post-Restoration England charts the moment when well-educated, well-resourced, English intellectuals first became interested in classical architecture in substantial numbers. This occurred after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 and involved people such as John Evelyn, Robert Hooke, Sir Christopher Wren, and Roger North. The book explores how these figures treated architecture as a subject of intellectual enquiry, either as writers, as designers of buildings, or as both. In four substantial chapters it looks at how the architect was defined as a major intellectual figure; how architects acquired material that allowed them to define themselves as intellectually competent architects; how intellectual writers in the period handled knowledge of ancient architecture in their writing; and how the design process in architecture was conceived of in theoretical writing at the time. In all, the book shows that the key to understanding English architectural culture at the time is to understand how architecture was handled as knowledge, and how architects were conceived of as collectors and producers of such knowledge. It also makes the claim that architecture was treated as an extremely serious and important area of intellectual enquiry, the result of which was that, by the turn of the eighteenth century, architects and architectural writers could count themselves amongst England’s intellectual and cultural elite.Less

Architects and Intellectual Culture in Post-Restoration England

Matthew Walker

Published in print: 2017-10-19

Architects and Intellectual Culture in Post-Restoration England charts the moment when well-educated, well-resourced, English intellectuals first became interested in classical architecture in substantial numbers. This occurred after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 and involved people such as John Evelyn, Robert Hooke, Sir Christopher Wren, and Roger North. The book explores how these figures treated architecture as a subject of intellectual enquiry, either as writers, as designers of buildings, or as both. In four substantial chapters it looks at how the architect was defined as a major intellectual figure; how architects acquired material that allowed them to define themselves as intellectually competent architects; how intellectual writers in the period handled knowledge of ancient architecture in their writing; and how the design process in architecture was conceived of in theoretical writing at the time. In all, the book shows that the key to understanding English architectural culture at the time is to understand how architecture was handled as knowledge, and how architects were conceived of as collectors and producers of such knowledge. It also makes the claim that architecture was treated as an extremely serious and important area of intellectual enquiry, the result of which was that, by the turn of the eighteenth century, architects and architectural writers could count themselves amongst England’s intellectual and cultural elite.